Mistletoe DoOver
by redrider6612
Summary: This is a one shot about Booth's reaction to Brennan's assertion that the kiss was 'brotherly'.  He wants another shot at it.  Written first person Booth's POV because I'm feeling brave.  Rated T for a bit of steam.


Mistletoe Do-Over

I was trying not to let it bug me. After all, she probably only said that for Caroline's benefit. No way that was how she really felt. I've kissed my fair share of women and I know how a woman reacts when they're not into it. She had felt something alright. To be honest, it scared me nearly as much as my own reaction to the kiss.

Up until the moment I was shoved under the mistletoe, I hadn't really thought she was going to go through with it. I mean, c'mon, we're _partners_. Mistletoe tradition or not, she knew how I felt about crossing that line between us. Besides, I'm sure I coulda got Caroline to hold up her end without going through with it. Even if she was feeling 'puckish'—I'm still not sure what the hell that's supposed to mean—she's a reasonable woman. I coulda persuaded her, given the chance. But no, Bones just had to go along with it. Makes me think she kinda wanted to do it, she put up so little fight about it. If I know her—and let's face it, I do—she probably did it as some kind of anthropological experiment, just to satisfy her own curiosity.

Still, did she have to compare it to kissing her _brother_? As the other participant to the kiss, I can promise you it was _not_ the kind of kiss you would share with a sibling. Unless you were talkin' incest, which I _know_ isn't the case with Bones and Russ.

I walked into her office. It was late and I had confirmed with the guard on duty that everyone had gone home. Bones was engrossed with something on her computer, but she gave me a puzzled glance when I jingled the change in my pocket.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, looking back at her monitor.

"Well, the forensic guy didn't have the results for me yet, so I just—" I trailed off, suddenly at a loss. How exactly should I ask her?

She looked up at me again, which didn't help my thought processes. "Well, these things take time. He'll probably have it for you tomorrow." Glancing at her watch, she shut down her computer. "I didn't realize it was so late." She got up and grabbed her coat and bag and I started to panic. She was going to leave before I could ask her.

"Bones, I was wondering…" I began. She stopped halfway to the door, turning to look at me quizzically. My mouth was suddenly completely dry and my palms were sweating. Shit. She was staring at me, waiting, impatient to be off. "Did you mean what you said earlier?" I finally managed to say. She frowned, apparently mystified. I almost groaned with frustration at her cluelessness. "What you said about kissing me."

A smile quirked her lips. "Yeah," she said with a husky chuckle, folding her arms at her waist. Something in my face made her smile fade. "That bothers you, doesn't it?"

"No," I said too quickly. She was frowning. "Well, maybe. I mean, as far as kisses go, I wouldn't say it was my best, but then I didn't have much warning and its not like I ever thought of kissing you—"

"Really?" she cut in curiously. "Never?"

My eyes widened in alarm. I didn't like the vibes I was getting from her. "Of course not," I bluffed. "We're partners!"

"You're a healthy attractive man and I am a healthy attractive woman. It would be perfectly natural if you had," she said in that damned logical tone that always drove me nuts. I suspected she knew that and that's why she did it.

Time to get back on track. "So, are you telling me you always slip in a little tongue action when you kiss Russ?" I asked provocatively.

She had the grace to blush. "Of course not! What kind of sick, perverted person do you think I am?" she blustered. Score! I thought triumphantly, careful to keep a straight face.

"You felt something when we kissed," I insisted firmly.

"No, I didn't," she said, but her eyes didn't quite meet mine.

"Fine. Prove it," I challenged.

That got her attention. Her wide eyes locked with mine. "Prove it? How?" she asked, as though she didn't already know.

I pointed up at the mistletoe I was standing under. "Kiss me again," I said, silently daring her to chicken out. Shock froze her to the spot and she stared at me with her mouth hanging open. "C'mon, Bones. This time we don't have an audience and you can give me your honest reaction. Consider it one of your anthropological experiments."

She didn't move for a full minute and I figured there was a fifty/fifty chance she was gonna bolt. Finally she set her coat and bag on the desk and turned toward me. As she approached, I could see she was in full squint mode, a thoughtful look on her face. Stopping in front of me, she tipped her head back and closed her eyes, looking like some kind of saint steeling herself for sacrifice. It just made me more determined to show her there was no way she didn't feel anything when we kissed. I ended up showing myself just how much I'd been fooling myself when it came to my feelings for her.

I grasped her upper arms and leaned down to press my lips to hers, tilting my head to get a better fit. Her lips were soft, but firmly sealed. Undeterred, I opened my mouth, running my tongue along the seam of her lips, sipping at her like she was the best thing I'd ever tasted. Finally, just when I was beginning to think she'd never give, she opened up with a ragged sigh that stole my breath away. She grabbed my lapels and stepped closer, tilting her head and opening her mouth wider. I stroked her tongue with mine softly, savoring the taste of her. Then she sucked at my tongue lightly and nearly blew the top of my head off.

I groaned and slipped my arms around her, pulling her close. Her body sagged against me as the kiss picked up steam and exhilaration rushed through me. No way was she gonna be able to say this was a brotherly kiss.

I knew the moment she came to her senses. She stiffened in my arms, palms flattened against my chest. I raised my head and looked down at her, dazed by the sensations that were zinging through me. Her lips were swollen and red, her eyes wide and stunned. My arms fell away as she stiff-armed me and turned away to hide from me. I was gratified to note she was slightly out of breath, and though her face was averted, I could see her cheek was flushed.

"Well?" I pressed when I could speak in a reasonably calm voice.

"Okay," she said hoarsely.

"Okay what?" I pressed. I wasn't letting her off that easy.

"It wasn't like kissing my brother," she muttered. She wouldn't look at me.

"No, it sure as hell wasn't," I said. 'What now?' I wondered. I hadn't thought beyond this point.

She straightened and moved slowly towards her coat and bag. "I'll—see you later," she murmured. She still hadn't looked at me.

"Bones," I said as she reached the doorway. She turned and finally looked at me, the mask firmly in place. I searched for the right thing to say, but came up empty. "Take care," I said lamely. She nodded jerkily, and then she was gone.

Running a hand around the back of my neck, I stood there in the silence, trying to get my head around what had just happened. 'What an idiot!' I thought, suddenly irritated with myself. I had set out to prove something to my stubborn partner, but wound up getting burned myself. Things were about to get really interesting.


End file.
